


Drop of a Hat

by Mooifyourecows



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Valentine's Day, behold my extensive monster hunter knowledge, but not really, hinata is a sweetie pot pie, kenma doesn't know how to hold his liquor, purest thing i'll ever write, so extensive, things get a little out of hand, this is pure, truly i am a god
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 01:52:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13730592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mooifyourecows/pseuds/Mooifyourecows
Summary: Maybe being not single could be something that Kenma would be interested in, if he really put his mind to it.Maybe.





	Drop of a Hat

**Author's Note:**

> This was a gift I wrote for a Valentine's Day exchange!
> 
> It was really fun to take part in and I'm so glad for the opportunity!
> 
> Happy late Valentine's Day, everybody~

Kenma didn’t intend to get drunk.

He didn’t intend to drink at all, honestly.

Valentine’s Day was a bogus, unimportant holiday anyway.

And he didn’t care that he was dateless, at a restaurant surrounded by couples.

He didn’t care at all.

But there was something about that crowd mentality, those holiday blues, that warped his attitude into something that just begged to be drowned in several cups of hot sake. Because even though Kenma didn’t even want to be in a romantic relationship, being surrounded by couples sweetly doting upon one another, the smell of chocolate in the air and soft romantic music playing somewhere across the room, had a way of making a single guy feel that gaping hole in his life that only a partner or a cat could fill.

And since Kenma’s apartment didn’t allow pets, it was a romantic partner that he yearned for that night instead.

In hindsight, he shouldn’t have even come out. But Kuroo had just been dumped and was inhabiting their shared apartment like a poltergeist, and Kenma had grown tired of hearing his wailing and tripping over him every time he decided to lie down face first in the middle of the hallway. So when he received the invite to have dinner and drinks with a few friends- if he could really call them that- from university, he had immediately agreed.

If he had known that he was going to be the seventh wheel though… he never would have wasted the time and effort of leaving the apartment. No, he probably wouldn’t have even gone so far as changing out of his sweats and slapping on deodorant. If he had known that the other members of the group would consist entirely of couples, he wouldn’t be there, nursing his- how many had he had?- cup of sake and eyeing the last skewer of yakitori resting on the plate across the table. Instead, he would be in his room bundled under the comforter that totally needed a wash, playing his 3DS with the television on to drown out the sound of Kuroo’s complaints through the thin walls.

But- unfortunately- he _hadn’t_ known that he would be sitting forever alone in the middle of a love fest, and so there he was.

Sitting in the middle of a fucking love fest.

Maybe nabbing that last skewer of yakitori would lighten his mood. But alas, as he sat up and leaned over the table to make a swipe for the food, one of the others snatched it up and immediately started sharing it with his girlfriend, sharing bubbly giggles.

Kenma could take a lot of abuse. Being best friends with one Kuroo Tetsurou since he was a kid was proof of that fact.

But he had really wanted that yakitori.

And he wanted a partner too, as he decided just that night, out of spite or some stupid reason like that.

Essentially, he had had enough.

Well…

He finished off his cup of sake.

_Now_ he had had enough.

Kenma pushed to his feet, head spinning slightly.

“‘M leavin’,” he mumbled to no one in particular, which was fine, because no one in particular really heard him anyway.

He staggered away from the table, attempting to blink the blur from his eyes as he roamed across the restaurant, deliberately ignoring just how packed it was with lovey dovey couples.

It was stupid, really.

Valentine’s Day was a fake holiday hyped up by chocolate companies in order to steal people’s money.

It was so stupid.

And Kenma really didn’t care that he was single.

Being single was his natural state. When he was alone, he could play his games quietly to his heart’s content. He didn’t have to worry about things like dates and presents and telling his partner they were pretty. That sounded too troublesome, honestly. And he saw what it did to Kuroo.

Granted, Kuroo was a huge idiot who fell in love at the drop of a hat and acted like the world was ending any time his relationships ended, just to be freshly in love a week later. But still. Dating looked so exhausting to Kenma.

_So troublesome._

His eyes slid over an especially touchy couple sitting at the bar, arms intertwined, foreheads leaning close as they gazed into the other’s eyes.

_Gross._

It was gross and troublesome and tiring.

But so was that graphic boss battle he got into late last night, and he hadn’t been able to put the controller down until the early morning hours, had he?

And he had to admit that it filled his heart with warmth when he finally did slay the beast and the following cutscene showed the breathtaking reunion of his character and his lost love. He had done it all for her. He had suffered and fought gross, troublesome, and exhausting enemies all for her.

Kenma had to admit that something like that held some kind of allure, even for a shut-in like himself.

Maybe being _not_ single could be something that Kenma would be interested in, if he really put his mind to it.

Maybe.

But one thing was for sure. He wasn’t going to be finding love there, in a restaurant crowded with nothing but couples.

“Your princess is in another castle,” he muttered softly to himself and headed for the door.

Once there, he let out a breath of relief and reached for the handle, just for his hand to brush against another, also on its way to open the door.

“Ah! Sorry!”

Kenma furrowed his brow and attempted once more to grab the handle, but this time, even without the interference of the other hand, his fingers failed to grasp their mark. He swayed on his feet, ducking his head and allowing his dual toned hair to fall in front of his eyes.

He was really drunk.

Kenma had never been that drunk before.

Honestly he usually didn’t drink at all, let alone enough to even get tipsy. The sensation of having no depth perception, no balance, and not a rational thought in his head, was completely, startlingly new to him and to tell the truth, he didn’t know what to do with himself.

_Call Kuroo._

He patted his jeans, searching half heartedly for his cell phone.

_Call Kuroo and have him pick you up._

“Hey, are you okay?”

Kenma ignored the voice and- abandoning his search for his phone- surged forward and pushed at the door. It was suddenly boiling in the restaurant and his chest ached and tightened.

“I think you’re supposed to pull it,” the voice spoke again.

_Shut up._

_Leave me alone._

He pushed harder, thinking that strength was the only solution to his dilemma. He leaned his weight into the door, kicking his feet against the floor, the soles of his sneakers squeaking loudly. Suddenly, the room tipped and he slid to the right, hands clawing at the door for purchase.

“Whoa!”

Strong hands caught him around the biceps and hauled him back up.

“Are you okay?”

Kenma finally turned his gaze to the source of the voice and met the wide sienna hued stare of a young man with shockingly wild orange hair.

“Gwah, you don’t look too good,” he said, brows furrowing. “Are you gonna be sick?”

Kenma gulped and straightened, shaking his hands off of him.

“‘M fine,” he mumbled, reaching again for the door handle.

“Here, let me get that for you!” the stranger said, lunging ahead of him. He swung the door open quickly, nearly stumbling backwards when it collided with his shoulder.

Kenma pushed past him and staggered out onto the sidewalk. The cool night air hit him, sapping some of the uncomfortable heat from his face and chest. He sucked in a deep breath and dragged his fingers through his hair, turning his face up to the sky.

“Are you alright?”

_Ugh._

The redhead had followed him out onto the sidewalk and continued to stare at him with concern, one hand held tentatively towards him, as if ready to catch him should his legs decide to give out.

“‘M fine,” he repeated.

“You don’t look fine…”

Kenma dug in his pockets.

_Call Kuroo._

“Do you want me to call you a cab or something?”

Kenma gave up his search once more and turned down the sidewalk in the direction he was _fairly_ certain was the direction to his apartment.

He drank too much. Never again. Next time his friends- if he could really call him that- offered to take him out for dinner, he would kindly ignore their calls and texts until they gave up, like he usually did and should have done this time too.

And really, it was all Kuroo’s fault. If he hadn’t been so damn mopey, Kenma wouldn’t have felt the need to flee the comfort of his room.

When he got home, he was going to punch Kuroo right in the dick and vomit in his bed.

_Serves him right for falling in love too fast and dragging everyone else down with him when shit goes bad._

Just who in the hell falls in love with a girl just because she told him she liked his watch?

Kenma’s best friend was hopeless and he hoped he was ready for the hell he was going to unleash on him when he got home.

_If_ he got home, that is.

Because the world was tipping again, and he was going right along with it, feet slipping out from underneath him, hands flashing out in a half-assed attempt to catch himself before he hit the concrete.

But instead of slamming face first into the filthy city asphalt, a strong arm caught him around the waist and dragged him back to his feet and against a shorter, albeit firm, body.

“Oh man you’re really drunk,” the redhead said anxiously.

“Lemme go,” Kenma slurred, struggling against him, but the redhead refused to release him, instead taking his arm and slinging it over his shoulders.

“Where’s your home?” he asked. “I’ll escort you there!”

“No,” Kenma pushed at him. “I’ll go by myself…”

The redhead’s grip around his waist tightened, “Are you kiddin’? No way I can let you go wanderin’ off on your own when you’re like this! Don’t you know how dangerous big cities are?”

Kenma lowered his eyes to the sidewalk. The stranger talked with an accent that instantly brought to his mind the image of a tractor puttering slowly down the middle of a lonely road between fields of rice.

“I’ve only just moved here,” the stranger went on. “But it’s really scary at night sometimes! The other night I saw a guy that was huge! And he was wearing these baggy clothes and had a big scar on his face. I thought he was a gangster! Oh, but he wasn’t. In fact, he offered me his seat on the train and that was really nice of him.”

He slowly guided Kenma down the street, babbling all the while.

“In fact, we exchanged numbers and are going to get lunch in a couple of days! Ah, so maybe the city isn’t as dangerous as I said. Still though, I wouldn’t feel good about leavin’ you. Oh! My name is Hinata Shouyou by the way. What’s your name?”

Kenma’s stomach gurgled and he pressed his free hand against it, desperately begging it to settle.

“Hello? Are you alright? Are you gonna barf?”

Kenma shook his head and swallowed the sour taste that rose at the back of his throat.

“Let me know if you are and I’ll get you to a garbage can as fast as possible! I’ll just scoop you up like _FWOOSH_ and _FWAAH_!”

_God he talks a lot…_

Kenma bit the inside of his cheek and gazed slowly around the street, momentary panic sweeping through him when he realized that he had absolutely no idea where they were.

“Whe-where are you taking me?” he croaked.

“Eh?” Hinata slowed to a stop. “I don’t know… is this not the direction to your home?”

“I dunno…”

“You don’t? Oh man… uhm… uh… then,” Hinata floundered, looking up and down the sidewalk. “Do you at least know your address?” he peered down at him worriedly.

Kenma gulped.

His address?

Did he remember it?

There was… a six in it. And a direction? Just in which part of the city did he live again?

Holy crap Kenma was really drunk. He couldn’t even remember his own address. He had been living in his apartment with Kuroo for two years and couldn’t remember where the hell it was.

_Call Kuroo_.

He should call Kuroo. He was faintly aware that his cell phone should be in _one_ of his pockets, but the very thought of digging for the thing was so daunting that he shrugged it away.

_Oh well._

_Whatever happens, happens._

At least he wasn’t in that stifling restaurant anymore. And this guy, though he was loud and handsy and talked too much, didn’t seem like he intended to do him any harm. So Kenma decided to leave his wellbeing in his surprisingly strong hands.

Kenma lolled his head in Hinata’s direction and blinked slowly at him, a lock of hair falling across his cheek.

“Hey,” he said, and his voice came out rough and breathy. “Take care of me well, Shouyou.”

Hinata’s already wide eyes flew wider and his entire complexion flushed a bright red, almost matching his hair in terms of intensity.

“I-I’ll do my best!” he squeaked.

Kenma finally allowed his body to sink against the other man’s, and closed his eyes with a hum.

Kuroo- if he wasn’t so busy feeling sorry for himself- would laugh if he saw him now. First time drunk, lost, and hanging off of a complete stranger… ah maybe Kuroo wouldn’t even recognize him.

_Whatever_.

He didn’t want to think about his own problems. He would dump the responsibility on this random kid instead and just go along with whatever happened. It was better than being alone, he supposed.

“So you don’t know your address?” Hinata asked again.

Kenma shook his head and then rolled it onto his shoulder, hair tickling his nose.

“Uhh… err… well,” Hinata cleared his throat loudly. “What to do… what to do…”

_He talks so much._

“My apartment is way across the city,” he admitted. “Not to mention my roommates should be there and they would give me all sorts of hell if I dragged a drunk person home.”

Hinata’s arm shifted around Kenma’s waist, holding him more securely against him.

Kenma turned his face towards the other man’s neck, inhaling the sweet scent of tangerines.

He smelled of tangerines and had hair to match.

_Maybe he_ is _a tangerine._

_A tangerine turned human._

_That would explain it._

Hinata let out a soft, concerned sound akin to a whimper and then readjusted Kenma’s arm around his shoulders.

“Okay… I guess I’ve got no other choice then…”

_Oh?_

_Did he make a decision?_

Kenma had been so busy sniffing his neck that he had completely tuned out Hinata’s mindless babbling.

_Oops._

He supposed it would have to be a surprise then. Oh well. It didn’t matter to Kenma. He had already passed the torch of responsibility and was just along for the ride now. Kuroo would really laugh if he could see him now. He was always pressuring him to try to make friends and do more adventurous things, after all.

Well. It couldn’t get more adventurous than blindly following a stranger in an inebriated haze.

Hinata led Kenma down the sidewalk once more and he finally cracked his eyes open. The world tipped and he quickly squeezed them shut again with a soft moan.

“Are you alright? Need to barf?”

“No…”

“Wow you’re really drunk. I’ve never gotten drunk before, so I have no idea what you’re feeling right now. Ah, but one time Kageyama put those drunk goggles on me and then spiked volleyballs at my face. I don’t know if it’s similar though.”

“You talk a lot,” Kenma mumbled.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I do. Tsukishima gets mad at me for it. Am I bugging you? I can shut up if I am.”

“Hm…” Kenma shifted closer to him and Hinata let out a soft _eep!_

“Uhm, uhm,” Hinata stammered. “So, are you going to tell me your name?”

“Kenma…”

“Kenma-san-”

“Just Kenma.”

“Kenma,” Hinata slowed them to a stop and Kenma peeked through his eyelids. They waited at a crosswalk for the red light to change.

He closed his eyes again.

“Why… are you drunk and alone on Valentine’s Day, Kenma?” Hinata asked.

Kenma let out a low growl and kicked his heel against the concrete in annoyance.

“Sorry! Sorry. We don’t have to talk about it, if you don’t want.”

They were silent for a moment and then Hinata was pulling him forward once more. After a short minute, Kenma muttered,

“What about you, Shouyou?”

“Hm?”

“Why are you alone on Valentine’s Day?”

Hinata let out an awkward laugh, “Ah… well… some friends from school set me up on a blind date. But…”

When he didn’t continue, Kenma cracked his eyes open and peeked up into his face.

Hinata’s lashes fluttered and he stared straight ahead, cheeks coloring in embarrassment.

“I was too nervous. I hid in the bathroom.”

Kenma blinked, “You stood up your date?”

“I-” his brows furrowed. “I didn’t even want to go on the date in the first place! They pressured me into it and I couldn’t get out of it, and so I thought I’d force myself but then I saw my date and they were so cu-cute that I panicked and in the end I just couldn’t do it.”

“Ehh…” Kenma closely examined his face. “Why not?”

“Well. Obviously because I’ve never been on a date before.”

Kenma was almost shocked, until he realized that he also had never been on a real date before.

“It’s not like I don’t want to find someone!” Hinata insisted. “I’d like to! Uhm… though I’m not really in a rush or anything. But it’s just… going to a restaurant and eating and drinking and trying to think of small talk is really intimidating.”

_Ah._

Kenma could relate.

He was awful at that sort of thing, after all.

“I’d much rather do something fun for a first date!” Hinata went on, brightening. “Like go bowling! Or paintballing! Or to an arcade!”

“Arcade would be fun,” Kenma muttered.

“Right? A date like that would be way easier than a date in a stuffy restaurant. And having a first date on Valentine’s Day… isn’t that too much pressure?”

“Yeah…”

“Anyway,” Hinata let out a sigh. “I feel bad for hiding. And I’ll be sure to apologize tomorrow. Ah, we’re here.”

Hinata pulled Kenma up to a door and wrestled it open. It was much warmer inside the building and Kenma let his eyes slide shut again, lulled by the warmth and smell of hot chocolate.

Hinata stopped again and spoke in a nervous voice, “Ah, uhm, yeah we need a room?”

_Room…_

There was a tick of silence before a female voice answered, “You realize this doesn’t look very good…”

“It- it’s not what it looks like!”

_Hotel._

_He took me to a hotel._

_Uh oh._

“How do I know you’re not lying to me?”

“I promise! It’s just he’s really drunk and I was nervous letting him wander around on the streets alone so-”

“Alright, alright. I’ll trust you. Only because you don’t look like the type capable of doing anything slimy.”

“Tha-thank you…”

_Wait._

_How do you know?_

_This guy is stronger than he looks, you know?_

But even if the thoughts were in his head, Kenma couldn’t put them to words. So he continued to lean into Hinata’s side, reminding himself that he had decided to say fuck it and let whatever happens, happen.

_But a hotel…_

_That’s like… a red flag, right?_

Hinata and the woman spoke as another wave of nausea swamped over Kenma and he pressed his lips tight together, urging the bile to go back down.

“You’re lucky,” the woman finally said. “Considering it’s Valentine’s Day and we usually run out of rooms eventually.”

Hinata squeaked, “You-you don’t say!”

The woman chuckled, “Here’s your key, elevators are down there.”

“Thank you!”

Hinata hurriedly dragged Kenma off, but he didn’t dare open his eyes, already dreading the eventual elevator ride.

As if he read his mind, Hinata slowed and asked,

“Would you rather take the stairs?”

Kenma gave a jerky nod.

“Alright, we’re just on the third floor anyway.”

Hinata turned him and then there was a click of a door opening. A few more steps later, Hinata paused and leaned Kenma against a wall.

“Hold up.”

Kenma peeked through his lids to see Hinata turn and put his back to him, taking his arms and dragging them over his shoulders.

“I’ll give you a piggyback ride!” he said brightly, releasing his arms and hooking his hands under his thighs.

Kenma sunk against his back, locking his arms around his neck.

Whatever. It beat walking any longer.

He leaned his face over his shoulder, nose brushing the skin of his throat, and inhaled the scent of tangerines. Hinata straightened and started up the stairs slowly.

“I’m pretty strong, aren’t I?” he said cheerfully. “Wanna know why? Because I play volleyball at university! I’ve been playing for years, and my partner- well he’s more of a rival- pushes me really hard so we’re always doing this crazy spartan training together! Not just us, though. My other two roommates also play so sometimes they go with us! Tsukishima always complains a lot about it so he doesn’t really come that often.”

Kenma let his mindless babbling distract him from the uneasy gurgling in his stomach.

“Wanna know what position I play?”

“Libero…”

“No! I’m a middle blocker!”

“Ehh…”

“Are you surprised?” Hinata laughed and Kenma could feel it in his chest. “People are always super shocked when they find out. I may be small, but I can jump! It’s my dream to be the ace of the team! One day I’m gonna do it. Just watch.”

He continued to talk the entire way up to the third floor, chattering on and on about volleyball and his teammates. And then he drew to a stop and Kenma opened his eyes.

“Kenma, could you get the door for me?” Hinata asked.

Kenma let out a grunt and wrestled with the door handle until Hinata could wedge the toe of his sneaker into the crack and swing the door wide enough to walk through. He carried Kenma down a brightly lit hallway until finding their room.

“Here we are!” he released one of Kenma’s legs and it slid to the floor. He pulled the key from his jeans pocket and unlocked the door before grabbing Kenma’s thigh once more and walking inside. The door swung shut behind them and Kenma peered around the room lethargically.

“Oh whoa,” Hinata said hesitantly.

_Yeah. Whoa._

The entire roomed was decked to the nines in Valentine’s Day decorations, complete with a large heart shaped bed with pink sheets, covered in rose petals.

“They really go all out for the holidays!” Hinata said. He carried Kenma to the bed, turned, and gently released him.

Kenma fell back onto the mattress, bouncing.

Hinata faced him once more and his cheeks instantly flushed bright red. He scratched the back of his neck, looking away hurriedly.

“S-so, uhm…”

_Ah… I’m totally going to get preyed on, aren’t I?_

Kenma had to be some kind of idiot. Did he really just follow a random stranger into a love hotel on Valentine’s Day, too drunk to defend himself?

_Oh well._

He closed his eyes.

Whatever happened, happened, he supposed.

It was silent for a few seconds, and then the bed shifted on his right side. He peeled his eyes open again and glanced over to where Hinata lay on his back next to him.

“Kenma look,” Hinata lifted a hand and pointed at the ceiling.

Kenma did as he said, and stared directly into a mirror.

“I’ve heard some hotels had mirrors on the ceiling but this is my first time actually seeing one!” Hinata said. “Weird, huh?”

“Weird…”

Kenma watched his reflection. He cocked his head to the side, orange hair flattened against the bedspread beneath him. His lips pursed, wide eyes blinking slowly. He hummed and scratched his cheek.

“Oh!” he sat up and unzipped his jacket. “I know what we can do!”

_Here it comes…_

Hinata reached inside his jacket and pulled out a red 3DS.

“Ta da!” he sang proudly, turning to grin down at him. “Let’s play a game!”

He lay back down and scooted closer to Kenma’s side, holding the 3DS above them as he opened it and powered it on.

“I have _Monster Hunter_ in here right now,” he said. “Have you played that before? We can take turns! I’ll go first and show you how.”

Kenma eyed him silently in surprise as he started up his game and explained the controls. He was halfway through hunting a hulking, electric monster, letting out squeaks and all sorts of sound effects, legs kicking up and down on the mattress, when Kenma finally realized that he had no intentions of touching him.

“Ahhh this one is really strong!” Hinata wailed, furiously tapping the buttons.

Kenma rolled on his side towards him and rested his cheek against his shoulder, peering up at the screen.

The monster charged his character and knocked out the last of his health.

“Oh no,” Hinata whined. “I lost.”

“Should’ve used ice,” Kenma mumbled.

“Huh?”

“Zinogres are weak to ice,” he said. “And he won’t attack when he’s charging up so you should try to slice off his tail in that time.”

“Uwahh, Kenma you’ve played this game before?”

“Hm.”

“Do you wanna have a go at him?” Hinata offered the 3DS.

Kenma shook his head, “You go again. I’m feeling nauseous.”

“Oh! Should I get you some water or something?”

He shook his head again, “I wanna watch you play…”

“Okay!”

Kenma watched as he shuffled through his weapons and and armor in the hub. When he went to the canteen and clicked on the cat behind the counter, Kenma lifted his hand and pointed to the screen.

“Buy this one and that one. They’ll raise your health and attack.”

Hinata did as he said and took the same mission as the last. This time, as he fought the monster, Kenma offered him words of advice, telling him where to strike, when to hold back, how to use his surroundings in his favor. Several minutes into the fight, Hinata was screaming and kicking his legs up and down in excitement. Kenma smiled and scooted closer to his side, one hand softly folding over his bicep.

“I’ve never gotten this close to killing this monster before!” Hinata admitted. “Look! He’s limping! I think he’s almost dead!”

“Watch out,” Kenma advised. “If he charges up one more time then you’re gonna be in trouble.”

“I’ll kill him before he gets the chance!”

Hinata’s character darted in, swinging his dual blades at the monster’s hind legs.

Suddenly, the music shifted.

“Uh oh,” Kenma muttered.

“Eh? Uh oh what? He’s almost dead right? I just need- _eeeeeek!_ ”

A second monster appeared on the screen, larger than the last, walking on two massive hind legs, tail whipping and jaws clacking.

Hinata ran away, legs kicking harder against the mattress, this time in terror. “What do I do? Kenma what do I do?”

“Give it here,” Kenma took the 3DS from him and hurriedly sat up. Hinata sat up too and peered over his shoulder as he bent over the game, tapping the buttons rapidly.

“What _is_ that thing?” Hinata groaned. “Why did it have to show up _now_ of all times?”

“It’s a Deviljho,” Kenma mumbled, bolting out of the way as the new monster charged him. “They’re super annoying.”

“Watch out! Ooo good dodge!” Hinata shifted closer, chest leaning against the back of his shoulder. “Wow Kenma you’re really good at this!”

Kenma’s chest flushed pleasantly with warmth.

“Whoa! How did you do _that_ ? That was so cool! You were like _shizzahh!_ ”

“It’s not that big of a deal…”

“You’re amazing!”

Kenma bit his bottom lip to keep the smile from his face.

Hinata continued to cheer him on, showing his exuberance with his entire body at every close encounter or flurry of attacks. And long, _long_ minutes later, Kenma finally delivered the final blow and both he and Hinata let out screams of triumph and fell back on the bed, bouncing lightly.

“Oh man we’re gonna get such good loot!” Hinata said in elation, rolling into Kenma’s side as the other boy went about raiding the two monsters’ bodies. “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! When you like climbed up on that rock and then _fwah_ ! jumped on the back of the Deviljho and were just _wham bam bam bam!_ on him and then the Zinogre going into his crazy electricity mode and you almost got hit but then just barely _zip_ right out of range and _bwaaahhh_!”

Kenma finished looting the monster’s bodies and passed the game over to Hinata.

“How did you get so good at this anyway?” Hinata smiled over at him, expression bright.

“Uhm… practice.”

“That makes sense…”

They fell silent and merely stared at one another for a long minute.

And Kenma hated being stared at. He hated the feeling of being under scrutiny, prey caught in the sights of the predator. It made his palms sweat, and breath shorten. It felt as if a heavy weight suddenly pushed down on his chest and it was unbearable.

He hated being stared at.

And yet, none of those desperate and anxious feelings came from Hinata’s steady gaze.

Maybe Kenma was too drunk to care.

Or maybe it was because Hinata was the furthest thing from predatory and exuded a peaceful, bright- and completely non-threatening- aura.

Whatever it was, Kenma found that he kinda… sorta… well.

He really liked it.

A sudden gasping moan sounded through the wall from the neighboring room and Hinata’s eyes flew wide, cheeks coloring. He lifted the 3DS up and broke the connection between their stares.

“A-anyway! Let’s find another monster to fight!”

Kenma continued to gaze at him as he babbled, tapping the buttons and guiding his character across the screen.

He talked a lot.

And was very loud.

And bold.

But Kenma didn’t hate it.

He rolled closer to him and looked up at the game.

“No don’t do that mission. It’s way too hard. Choose the one underneath.”

He turned his head, resting his temple against Hinata’s warm shoulder, and gently rested a hand on his bicep.

And Kenma was really glad he came out that night.

He continued to feel that way up until the next morning, when he woke up with a headache splitting his skull in two. He let out a soft moan and buried his face into his pillow, fingers curling in the sheets. His stomach gurgled and twisted and he silently begged it to settle. He didn’t think he could make it to the bathroom in time if his body decided to purge the toxins.

His pillow shifted and he furrowed his brow.

_Why is my pillow moving?_

_And why is it so hard?_

“Kenma? How are you feeling?” a rough voice said and Kenma’s pillow rumbled with the sound.

_Oh…_

Kenma pushed up on his hands and rolled off of Hinata’s chest. The motion made his stomach flip and he hurriedly pushed his face down into the mattress, holding his breath.

“Kenma?” a hand rested on his shoulder.

Kenma gulped and lifted his head infinitesimally to croak, “ _Water_.”

“Oh! Right! Hold on a second!” the bed bounced as Hinata scampered from it.

Kenma rolled onto his side and peeled his eyes open, staring at the wall.

He was never drinking ever again.

He slowly looked down at himself, noting with relief that he was still fully dressed, though his jacket was missing. Hinata rounded the bed and slid to his knees in front of him, holding two bottles of water.

“Here!” he thrust one towards him and Kenma struggled up onto one elbow and took it from him. “Are you gonna barf? Should I go get the trash and bring it to you?”

Kenma untwisted the lid of the water and gulped it down desperately.

What happened last night again?

He got drunk at the restaurant and left… then ran into Hinata and came here.

And then they played videogames all night until Kenma fell asleep.

Nothing happened.

He finished off the water and let the bottle roll to the floor, collapsing down onto the mattress once more, panting heavily.

“Do you feel a little better?” Hinata asked anxiously, leaning close. His forehead wrinkled, eyes filled with concern. His wild orange hair was somehow even more unkempt, the left side flattened against his temple as the other side stuck out.

Kenma swallowed, “Feel like death…”

“Is there anything I can do?”

Kenma let out a groan and rolled onto his back, draping an arm over his forehead.

“Nah…”

They fell silent for a long minute and Kenma concentrated on breathing slowly, trying to rid himself of his hangover with pure wishing power.

“Hey uhm, Kenma…”

He glanced over to Hinata, who now avoided his stare, fingering the lid of the second water bottle.

“So I was wondering… uh… it was really fun playing games with you last night. And I was thinking that maybe… uhm… maybe we could do it again!”

Kenma blinked.

“Ah! Not the being drunk part or the love hotel part of course!” Hinata waved his arms around. “But like, maybe we could go to the arcade! You said that’d be fun, right? Oh! Or you could come to my place! I have three roommates so we’ve all compiled our consoles and have a big selection now!”

He hesitated, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

“That’s… only if you want to, of course.”

Kenma gulped and looked away.

Was he really asking to see him again? Why? How could he be so bold?

It didn’t make any sense.

But… Kenma was a little happy. Somehow.

“We could… do that,” he said, cheeks warming. “Any of it. Uhm. It sounds… fun. You could come to my place too…”

“ _Really?_ ” Hinata leaned forward, eyes blown wide in excitement. “ _Really really?_ You want to? Like for real?”

Kenma ran his fingers through his hair in embarrassment, “Yeah… I mean… you offered. Is it so weird to agree?”

“No! Not at all! Guwaaaahh I’m really excited now! Can I have your number?”

“Uhm… yeah,” Kenma slowly sat up. His stomach protested and his head ached, but he didn’t think he was going to vomit anymore.

“Yay!” Hinata jumped to his feet. “It’s going to be so much fun! I can’t wait!”

For the next few minutes, while Kenma fully woke up, they talked and exchanged numbers, deciding on a day to hang out. And when Kenma thought he could finally move enough to make it home, they left the room and rode the elevator to the first floor.

While Hinata checked out at the front desk, Kenma found his phone- it was in his jacket pocket the entire time- and called Kuroo.

“ _Kenma! Where are you? Don’t you know I’ve been worried sick about you? Why didn’t you come home last night? Did you get lost? Did you get kidnapped?”_

Kenma held the phone away from his ear for a moment, scowling as Kuroo shrieked through the line. When he calmed down, Kenma returned it to his ear and replied,

“I’m fine, shut up.”

“ _Where are you?_ ”

“Uh… a hotel.”

The line was silent for a long second and Kenma closed his eyes with a sigh. Finally, Kuroo’s voice came again.

“ _Oh ho ho, Kenma you sly kitten. So that means your date went well?”_

Kenma scowled, “It wasn’t a date. I was just the seventh wheel.”

“ _What are you talking about? Of course it was a date. Tora said he was bringing a kid from his volleyball team.”_

Kenma froze.

“ _We knew you wouldn’t go if you knew that though so we had to be sneaky about it,”_ Kuroo went on. “ _Did you like my acting? I did good, didn’t I?”_

“You didn’t get dumped?”

“ _Oh I got dumped. That much was real. Anyway, so how was it? Did you have fun?_ ”

“I gotta go.”

“ _Ehh? C’mon, give me some deets! I’m so lonely, let me live vicariously through you-_ ”

Kenma ended the call and shoved his phone into his pocket just as Hinata walked up.

“All done!” he said cheerfully, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

Kenma hummed and they walked together out onto the sidewalk.

“What game should we play first on Friday?” Hinata asked, a slight bounce to his step. “Have you played _Yoshi’s Woolly World?_ It’s really easy but it’s also really fun! And so cute! Me and Tadashi were playing it the other day and it was so funny when we were both trying to get yarn! We laughed so hard we started crying!”

Kenma side eyed him silently as they traveled down the sidewalk.

“Or we could play some more _Monster Hunter_! If you bring your 3DS we can hunt together! Oh! There’s a taxi!” Hinata stood on the edge of the sidewalk and waved a hand. The taxi slowed and pulled up to the curb. “You can take this one, Kenma!” he said. “I’ll catch the next!”

Kenma watched him open the door and step to the side, gesturing at the vehicle with a wide grin. He took a step forward and then hesitated. His hands clenched into fists in his pockets.

“Hey, Shouyou…”

Hinata cocked his head to the side, “Yeah?”

Kenma rubbed his lips together, “So… you’re going to apologize for ditching your date last night, right?”

Hinata’s eyes flew wide and his cheeks reddened. He floundered for a few seconds, rubbing his palms against the front of his jacket.

“Oh… oh… right. Yeah…” he cleared his throat and looked away. He inhaled deeply and then let it out before facing Kenma once more and bowing deep. “I’m sorry for hiding in the bathroom last night!”

Kenma didn’t reply.

Hinata held his bow for a few more seconds and then peeked up at him.

“Are you mad?” he whispered.

Kenma hummed.

Hinata straightened, “I’m really sorry! I just got so nervous and it was my first date and-”

Kenma grabbed his jacket with both hands and dragged him forward. Before he could think better of it, he crushed his lips to his, squeezing his eyes shut. Hinata stiffened and Kenma released him, breaking the connection between them.

“I’ll see you on Friday,” Kenma muttered and climbed into the taxi.

For a second, Hinata didn’t move. And then he turned and looked down at him, cheeks bright red.

“Ye-yeah! Okay! I’ll see you on Friday!” he hesitated, then a bright smile spread over his face. “Bye Kenma! Happy Valentine’s Day!”

Kenma turned forward and mumbled, “Happy Valentine’s Day…”

Hinata closed the door and then waved exuberantly through the window. Kenma returned it timidly and the taxi pulled away from the curb. He waited until he was halfway down the street before pressing his hands to his face, hiding the furious blush that swamped his features.

Kenma was never drinking again.

Never ever ever.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out. There was a new text message from Hinata.

 

**_From: Shouyou_ **

_im so excited for fri!!!!_ _°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°_

 

Kenma smiled.

 

**_To: Shouyou_ **

_me too_

 

And he supposed this meant he couldn’t make fun of Kuroo about falling in love at the drop of a hat anymore.


End file.
